Postmates, instant ramen and dinner at the magisters’ house were some of the survival tools for students who stayed on campus for Thanksgiving break.Every year, a number of students remain at Rice during the four-day Thanksgiving recess due to a variety of reasons such as distance, cost or simply preparation for the final week of classes.“I personally stayed just because it's too far to go back home,” Gayatri Sawant, a Sid Richardson College freshman and international student from India, said.

The Baker College commons contains only its usual smattering of students doing their homework and hanging out. Suddenly, the doors open and the quiet is shattered. In marches a group of students in red sweaters and Santa hats, carrying in tray after tray of cookies painstakingly prepared for the students. It’s Baker Christmas.